Are you as excited as we are for the upcoming revival, And Just Like That…, which will air on HBO this December? If so, it might be time to have a bit of a Sex and the City refresher before diving back into the fabulous, fun, flirty, and hilarious world of Carrie Bradshaw and her friends. You might know that Sex and the City is based loosely on the book of the same name by . But just how loosely based are we talking? If you listened to the Sex and the City audiobook, would you even recognize Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha? Or would you be getting an entirely different story? Read on for our guide to the differences between the Sex and the City book and the show to find out.
What was the inspiration for Sex and the City?
Sex and the City is first and foremost the brainchild of Candace Bushnell. Bushnell moved to New York City at the age of 19 to become a freelance writer. She began writing for The New York Observer in 1993, and in 1994, she created the column "Sex and the City." The column was framed as a humorous take on dating in New York City, based on Bushnell’s own experiences. Sound familiar? Yep, this is exactly like the column Carrie Bradshaw wrote on the Sex and the City show.
Bushnell's column was so popular that it was adapted into a collection of essays, also entitled Sex and the City, in 1997. While the book is nonfiction, Bushnell created the alter-ego of "Carrie" to explore her own dating experiences. She also wrote about "Mr. Big," who is more an archetype than a real character in the book. Mr. Big is the typical business tycoon who jumps from relationship to relationship without ever getting too attached. Meanwhile, there's also a "Samantha," who represents the successful woman in her 40s who is able to have sex like a man. The book also introduces us to minor characters "Charlotte" and "Miranda." Later, Bushnell also wrote two prequel novels to Sex and the City. and are YA novels that explore the fictional version of Carrie Bradshaw's youth.
How did Sex and the City make it to the small screen?
Sex and the City was adapted into a TV series by Darren Starr shortly after the book was released. The series first aired on HBO on June 6, 1998, and remained popular for its six-season run. By the time the final episode aired on February 22, 2004, Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda's story of dating, friendship, and life in the city had lasted for 94 episodes. Later, in 2008 and 2010, two films were released. And now, more than 20 years after the original airing of the show, we're getting more as Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte return for
